NLIHC: Join Our Creative Campaign to Tell Congress #CutsHurt

President Joe Biden will sit down with congressional leaders today (May 9) for the first of what will likely be many negotiations to raise the national debt ceiling and avoid a catastrophic default. Last week, U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that the nation could default on its debt as soon as June 1 if congressional leaders and the White House do not reach an agreement to lift the debt ceiling.

Despite the likely harm posed by default, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and fellow House Republicans say they will only lift the debt ceiling in exchange for steep cuts to domestic programs, including drastic cuts to HUD's and USDA's vital affordable housing and homelessness programs.

It is critical for advocates to reach out to their members of Congress and urge them to oppose these harmful cuts.

TAKE ACTION!

Join NLIHC's “Spring into Action” mobilization campaign from now until May 19 to speak out against budget cuts and push Congress to make necessary investments in housing and homelessness programs. During this period, we encourage advocates to creatively express the importance of federal housing resources and convey to their members of Congress the devastating toll that these cuts, if enacted, would take in their communities. Post your work on social media using the hashtags #CutsHurt and #SpringIntoAction from now until May 19, and be sure to tag your member of Congress and @NLIHC!

Possible activities include the following:

We also suggest that advocates make use of these additional resources:

  • NLIHC's advocacy toolkit, “Oppose Dramatic Cuts to Federal Investments in Affordable Housing,” which includes talking points, sample social media messages, and more.
  • White House factsheets detailing the impact of House Republicans' proposed budget cuts in each state, including the number of families that could lose rental assistance. You can highlight this number in your advocacy to emphasize the scale of the impact on constituents in your state.

BACKGROUND

House Republicans voted to approve the “Limit, Save, and Grow Act” on April 26 to temporarily lift the debt limit in exchange for reducing fiscal year (FY) 2024 spending to FY22 levels and capping future spending increases at 1% annually for 10 years, which would result in at least a 23% reduction in funding for key housing and homelessness programs. According to HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, such cuts would “represent the most devastating impacts in HUD's history” and “make it impossible to stave off mass evictions.” Nearly 1 million households could lose HUD rental assistance, and nearly 120,000 fewer people experiencing homelessness would be served. The bill would also rescind unobligated COVID-19-relief funding and put in place rigid work requirements for some anti-poverty programs, among other harmful provisions.

While the Republican bill is unlikely to pass in the Senate, its passage in the House puts more pressure on President Biden and Senate Democrats to negotiate with Speaker McCarthy over spending cuts to key programs. Congressional leaders must reach a deal to lift the debt ceiling by as soon as June 1, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, or risk a default, which could cause widespread economic turmoil. President Biden is expected to sit down with Congressional leaders - including Speaker McCarthy, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) - today (May 9) to begin debt ceiling negotiations.

Members of Congress must look beyond dollar amounts and grasp the human cost of the House Republican proposal. Such steep budget cuts would make it much harder for people experiencing homelessness to find stable homes and put hundreds of thousands of the lowest-income renters at risk of eviction and homelessness. Housing provides the foundation for stability in all other aspects of life. Many households, if they were to lose HUD assistance, would struggle to put food on the table, stay healthy, and access employment and educational opportunities.

Please reach out to the NLIHC Field Team at outreach@nlihc.org with questions. Thank you for your advocacy!

Thank you for your advocacy!

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